Contributed Articles = Great Marketing Tools
Contributed articles reach a wide audience of decision makers and influencers and serve as credible, affordable marketing tools. They demonstrate your expertise, establish you as a thought leader in your local market and industry, and build your company’s credibility.
Sometimes called bylined expert articles, contributed articles run in trade magazines, newspaper special sections, association magazines, newsletters, blogs and free online article directories. Publications don’t pay for contributed articles, they receive them for free.
Contributed articles are different from articles written by staff reporters at newspapers, magazines or online news sites. One doesn’t just “write or place an article” in The New York Times. Staff writers get paid to write news, features and columns for their publications.
Corporations write contributed articles and then pitch them to certain publications as free contributed features or columns that run in a special section, such as those devoted to architecture, healthcare or eDiscovery. The publication decides whether they are interested in your pitched article topic and if they will run your article.
Contributed Articles Aren’t Ads
Contributed articles are not advertisements for your company, and many publications reserve the right not to run a contributed article that contains puffery about your firm. Instead, editors have guidelines outlining their requirements. Some require that you do not mention your firm in the article at all.
Unlike staff written articles, the end of contributed articles can contain a plug for your company. Typically, you invite prospects to get in touch with you to learn more with one or two sentences that give your title and credentials and a small bit of information about your company.
What to Write About?
What do you write about in a contributed article? A recent project, a trend, new legal requirements, industry challenges or significant changes, are all great topics. So are How-To articles, industry round-ups, new tools or practical advice on how to control costs or run your company better. Many publications also like personal essays, which give personal advice or an opinion on a trend or change in their industry from a chief executive or notable company executive.
Contributed Articles by M. Sharon Baker
Microsoft's web site:
- Retailers learn solutions to challenges of computer security
- 14 ways for retailers to tighten computer security
Ghostwritten Contributed Articles
- Choose Your Words Wisely for Affirmagy (PDF)
- Washington Square's Second Phase for Wasatch Development
- Eat Your Spinach and Drink Your Milk for Overlake Hospital
- Be a Contributor in Life for Thach Nguyen
- ACRS Has New Green Building for the DJC
- South Shore Elementary for the DJC
- Social Sustainability column for the PSBJ
- Nathan Hale School for NW Construction
- Mental health clinic breaking ground in Burien for the DJC
Veteran business journalist and freelance writer M.Sharon Baker has written hundreds of articles and has the experience to write a contributed article that meets your marketing objectives and fulfills the requirements of your targeted publication. In addition, the article will be informative, engaging and well read.
Sharon manages the entire process from developing article ideas, finding appropriate publications, pitching the idea, interviewing appropriate team members, writing an interesting and informative article, managing the internal review process and working with the publication's editor.
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